It's Just Blood
by mystic legacy
Summary: 15 years after the end of COHK, a new knight has come. She's the daughter of the free knight and Deedlit, but she doesn't know it. Now, her blood is saught after to rise the demon elf, Merc. Will she be able to stop the ritual? Or will Lodoss once again b
1. fifteen years later..... a task?

Just south of the land of Alcrast, lies the island of Lodoss, the acursed land.  
  
  
Setting: fifteen years later from the end of the series.  
  
  
  
"and the priestess let the evil into her heart,  
and the knight begged for her life  
and Marfa disapeared.  
The warrior known as Gaddack  
was reborn.  
The knight was merry.  
  
Now fifteen years has past,   
and the sun has gone down   
many a Time on the body  
of a new warrior.  
a girl with nether  
mother nor father.  
a warrior  
and a witch  
who seeks the title  
of knight......." Maar was sitting in his usual place in the streets, recounting all that he knew, of lodoss, and it's people. In the crowd gathered around him, was a girl, no a woman. Her eyes were half green, half brown,  
her hair a dark brown. She stoud out from the crowd with her gray armor, and black sword sheath. Her hair was pulled back from her face with a black badanna. This was the girl whom Maar had wrote about.  
And her name was Medea.  
  
After the crowd had parted, Medea made her way through the crowd to Maar.  
  
"hey Me."Maar said. It had only been a few weeks since he had come back from his adventures with ashram. So his stories were still new. Maar had befriended this girl the day he had meant her, on this street. She had told him her dream to become a knight, which most people thought foolish, she was a girl after all. But after he saw her battle with a theif, he was fully convinced that she was able.  
"hey Maar. I liked that part you wrote about me." she smirked "looks like I'm the best material. Running out so soon?"  
" thanks." he said shortly(ha ha) "so when do you find out if you're a knight or not?" he said changing the subject.  
  
"tommorow. I've applied for this 4 times, you'd think they'd actually listen at least once. but I just get laughed at."  
  
"well, it might help if you didn't dress like a guy"  
  
"oh, so I'm suposed to fight in a dress? no way! I need full body movement to become a knight."  
  
"sheesh, alright don't bite my head off." Maar said, "and have some faith, maybe you'll get it this time"  
  
"maybe your right maar" She sighed and looked at the castle. "oh well, I won't know tell tommorow" a messenger came riding up, and stopped next to medea.  
  
"Are you Medea, no-last-name" the messenger asked  
"I'm Medea sir" He looked down at her curiously.  
"I have a messenge from the king. You are to report to the castle imedeatly for an audience." the messenger rode off.  
  
"I wonder what that's about?" Medea asked Maar. he shrugged and began singing to a new crowd that has gathered.  
  
Medea shrugged and walked to the castle. She entered and walked to the audience chamber. She entered then kneeled on one knee.  
  
"your highness" she said, keeping her eyes on the ground.  
  
"Medea, I want to ask a favor of you" the king said (I can't rember how to spell his name)  
  
"Me highness?" she said, daring to look up  
  
"yes, but first I want to ask you a few questions."  
  
"alright"  
  
"first, why did you sigh up to be a knight and compleat the trials?"  
  
"because I wish to be a knight highness."  
  
"surely this is not true, why would some female wish to become a knight?"  
  
"it is true sir, I'm good with a sword and I love fighting, and.."  
  
"I see you're wearing armor, where did you get it?"  
  
"I.. I made it highness. out of old scrap metal one of my aquantances has. he is a black smith." Medea knew she would never be a knight not in a million years, why had she been so stupid?  
  
  
"I see. One more thing, it says on your resume that you know magic. what type?  
  
"elvin magic sir, syphs, and the like, and a bit of manna" She kept her eyes on one thread of the finely woven carpet  
  
"I see. well then, here is my favor. will you accompany a small group of mercs to Valis, to give this message to King ETOH?"  
  
"I..I'd be honored highness."  
  
"fine then, you'll meet your group tommorow morning at the south gate."  
  
"highness, may I ask, who will be the captain" she had moved her eyes off the floor and was now looking at one of the king's highly polished boots.  
  
"sir Spark medea" Medea almost fell backwards Sir Spark? THE Sir Spark?  
she was going to be one of the heroes of lodoss's mercs  
  
" I thank you kindly for this great honor,and perhaps when I return, I will take up again my duties as a knight in training." she began to back out of the room  
  
"Medea, if Spark gives me a good report, then you shall become a knight. you are desmissed." medea backed the rest of the way out of the room. Then ran to find maar. He was clearing up for the day  
  
"Maar you'll never beleave what happened" she told him what had happened   
  
"really? Spark? he was an old friend of mine:  
  
" I know you sang about him in your songs."  
  
"wow" Medea was turning her sword over in her hands. "i'd better sharpen this, or it will be too dull to fight with."  
She ran home happy for her job.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
okay, bad place to leave off, but....   
and I know I messed up the characters a bit. and I REALLY screwed up Maar's song, but I've never done one of these before so have faith. 


	2. Beginning of a new journey.... Jerk!

Medea made her way down to the south gate, her armor and sword sheath glistening in the moring sun. She did not wear full body armor, but had just a few pieces. THere were her forarm plates wich could be removed quickly, and the pieces covering her lower legs. Then there was her breast plate, which covered just the upper part of her torso (you know, like deed's) all of her armor was a blueish grey.She wore it over a black shirt and black pants, the shirt was baggy, so she had belted it with a black belt at her waist. Her sword was a silver holt (the top part) with a single stone in it. the stone was unique though, when you look at it, it turned red, blue, green, black, and back to red again. IT was the only possesion her parents had left her, the only phyical possession anyway. She had the magics of an elf, and the swordmanship of a knight. She smiled to herself as she turned a corner on the next street. She remebered the way Maar had described her eyes "changing with the seasons of emotion." When she was doing nothing, her eyes were half intense green, half dark chocolate brown,but, as Maar had told her, her eyes went totally green when she performed magic, and brown when she was fighting. She didn't know if she believed maar, but she never had another friend to tell her no, it wasn't true. She shrugged as she turned the last corner. There was a small group of mercs standing there.   
  
"you must be Medea" said a tall burly man. "I'm Garrack, this is Ryna" he gestured to a tall woman with red hair. Medea nodded in greeting. there were two others, a common elf named Twig, and a young priest named Lein.The elf was ecellent with her spells, and decent with her bow as well. The priest could do healing spells, and had an spear which to fight with.Medea leaned against the wall waiting for the captian, she would have to keep her cool during this. "don't flare up" Maar had warned her, he, more than anyone had seen her flare up, and didn't want anyone else to witness it either. She stoud against the wall nonchanlantly, when two figures came out of the shadows of the south wall.  
  
"hey, captain!" Garrack called "over here!" The two figures walked towards the mercs, and Medea relized that one was sir spark. The other,she didn't reconize,but he was obiously a warrior, the way he held himself.   
"hey spark" Ryna said in greeting.Medea nodded to him as greeting.  
  
"Ryna" he nodded, then looked at twig,Lein,Garrack Ryna, and finally, the one in the shadows, Medea."is this everyone? Good. OH, let me introduce my son, this is Ches everyone" The boy looked about 19, a little older than Medea, he smiled at everyone as they said hello.  
"well, 2 of you grab the packs and we'll get going."  
Garrack imedeatly grabbed the pack and swong it on to his shoulders. Ches and Medea went for the remaining pack.  
"I'll take this pack" Medea said, trying to pry it from his grasp.  
  
"nonsense a lady shouldn't have to carry a pack, let me" Medea tightned her hold on the pack  
  
"I'm no lady" she argued, again trying to pry it from his grip.  
  
"that's not what your body says" Medea's eyes went brown with anger,but she calmed it, keeping it below the surface,  
  
"let go of the pack" she told him. He smirked  
  
"and what if I don't?"  
  
"Just let go of the pack!"  
  
"no"  
  
"LET GO OF THE BLOODY PA..." he cut her off and kissed her. She pushed him away. He tried to kiss her again, but this time, his mouth connected with first, her fist, then the pavement.She hoisted the pack on her back then walked off to join the group.  
"jerk" she said as they walked out of um, there country.  
  
Valis was a 4 day journey first throught flaim, then another 2 days through Valis to there holy capital  
It was a long way, but Medea had never had problems with walking. She had learned a long time ago, just to keep your eyes on the horizon, don't look back, don't look down at your feet, because then you just get tired. She was walking ahead of the group, but behind Spark. The pack actually wasn't that heavy. Twig had tried to talk to her, to find out about her past, but she had little to tell, so she left her alone.  
then another body came and walked next to hers. She turned to face ches. who smiled through a bloody lip.  
  
"hey" he said His sword was hitting the side of his armor, making a cling sound everytime he walked.  
  
"if you're trying to get somthing...." she warned him, he had already seen the better side of her anger, she was pretty sure he didn't want to see the bad side.  
  
"how about forgivness?" she stopped and turned to look at him.  
  
"well, that would require an apology"  
  
"wait, before I get down on my knees and beg, why did you say you weren't a lady"  
Medea sighed and said "look, when we get to the campsite, I'll tell you my life's story. long and boring as it might be, it might help you see why I said that"  
  
"okay fine then, it's a date" she glared at him. "joking, geezh"  
  
she cleared her throat as they started walking again, as if waiting for somthing (hint hint)  
  
"what? oh, yeah. do I really have to get on my knees?" Medea thought this over,   
  
"well, no, fine, but I want a sincere apology."  
  
"fine. I'm sorry for trying to get the pack from you and calling you a lady"  
  
"and???"  
  
"what? oh! I'm not going to apoligize for that" he smirked  
  
"and why not?" she fumed  
  
"because you enjoyed it"  
  
"YOU are impossible" she huffed and stormed off to the forest.  
  
"hey! where you going?" Spark asked  
  
"give me a minute to cool off" she told him. and dropped the pack carefully. she made her way into the deep of the forest and sat down in a clearing. she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She let all her anger out in a breath. feeling better, she stoud up and walked back.  
The group were spread out, some standing some leaning on the rocks. the pack that she had dropped was gone. She saw ches with it on his back talking to his father. She sighed and said "there's a stream about half a mile out if anyone's thirsty."  
Twig and Ryna dissapeared into the forest.  
  
"what was that all about Medea. why'd you go storming out like that?" spark was a little angry. Medea glanced at Ches, who said nothing.  
  
"Sometimes, when I'm walking,I think alot, and things that I don't like to think about go into my head, sometimes, you just need to relax and free your mind of everything. it's pretty hard to do in the middle of a group." Spark nodded his head in understanding.  
  
"okay, I understand. Just tell someone alright?" MEdea glanced at Ches again. then nodded  
" i will sir"  
  
"no formalities Medea, call me Spark k?"  
  
"um, K"  
  
Ryna and Twig came back. and the group started on their way again. Ches caught up to Medea again  
  
"hey, I'm sorry about making you so mad, and thanks for not telling on me"  
  
"I'm no tattle tale"  
  
he smiled at her.  
  
"but I'm not stupid either. Look,ches, don't make me mad, that time you were lucky I didn't lose control, or you could have been dead." he looked aprehensive "I'm serious! I can get really mad and sometimes I can't control were my sword ends up. in the ground or..." he had gotten the point "but don't be afraid of me K?" he nodded and smiled gently.  
"you understand?"  
"yeah, you're a beserker"  
  
"what? no! I just can't control my temper sometimes. believe me, I'm working on it. but I'm no beserker."  
  
"okay. that's good" he smiled at her again and they started talking, like real friends. Ches told her about his family, and medea told him about her fighting skills.  
  
"you mean your mother was the high priestess Nesse?" She asked him. he nodded.  
"yes, she was a great person, and she loved my father, but Marfa decide d it was better for her to be in her power so she drew her up to the realm of the gods. My father hasn't been the same since, but he still smiles which is good."  
  
"you mean your skills just... came?"  
"yup, they just appeared one day, I was about five, and the ophanage people gave me the sword that my parents left me." she pulled it out of the holster as she walked "as I picked it up, I felt powerful, like I could do anything, then I started training. The nurses were terrified of me and took my sword away, but I still trained with this" she put her sword away and pulled out a black wooden stick about 2 feet long. "it was the equilvanat to my sword when I was younger, and I still keep it with me." He looked at her in awe.  
  
"wow"  
  
  
  
  
okay, anyone confused? just aske me and D'oh ,I forgot to tell about her pack. okay  
Medea has a shoulder pack in which she keeps these items: a disefectant soultion, her journal, money, a small pentant, and more money. Her stick is straped to the strap of the pack on her back. (did that ryme?)  
  
got it=? good. oh, yeah, Iknow I screwed up where the countrys are, but I'm just trying to make the journey longer okay? 


	3. Tertate.... this was my house.....

The group trugded on, until they reached a fort, near the town of Hearta (again, i'm typing this at 2 in the moring okay?) They rented 2 rooms in the inn in Hearta, after getting rations from the fort. THey said good night and the men went into their rooms, and Ryna, Twig, and Medea were put in the other room. Ryna and Twig fell asleep imedatily, but Medea sat up, using a very intresting device she had gotten when she was in her orpahnage.  
She used her fingers to syphone the thoughts from her mind into the air. They glowed golden for a few minutes, then disapeared into the closed book lying in front of her. It was a mind catcher. Like a diary, it was for your thoughts, but this one, could only be read by the one who blood bonded with it. Medea looked at the tiny hole in her finger, still left from when she had pricked it on a needle to let a drop of blood spill on the first page. If she willed it, she could turn the thoughts into words, and the would appear on the page, for her to read, or others.but only if she willed it with her mind. She ran her finger down the spine, singalling it to turn off. She felt restless, so she grabbed her polish out of her bag, and began to polish her sword. Then, she began to sharpen it. when she had thought she had compleated that, sheran a finger up it's blade, cutting it in the process.  
  
"ow!" she wispered loudly, a single drop of her blood hit the silver shaft, and dissapeared. Medea didn't notice it, but got up and went downstairs to the cubard of the inn, trying to find a bandage.  
  
"there you are" she said, pulling out a thin roll of cotton cloth, it wasn't very wide, maybe a fourth inch, perfect for fingers. She slowly wrapped the cloth around her finger, humming quietly a tune that her mother had sung to her. she remebered the words perfectly.  
(okay get ready for this)  
  
close your eyes   
just close your eyes and dream  
close youre eyes  
just close your eyes darling  
night has come   
and day leaves  
close your eyes  
and dream.  
for when you wake   
the world will be free again  
dream....  
close your eyes  
just close your eyes  
and dream  
love,the world will be free again.  
just close your eyes  
and dream  
of love  
"that's beutiful" came a voice behind her. She turned quickly, quite aware that her sword was right next to her. but it seemed that there was no need for it. It was spark.  
  
"oh, hi"she said, now quite aware of what she DID have, a tight black tank top, and short black shorts. She looked down at her finger, then tore the bandage, and taped it. Spark looked at her now covered finger, and her sword lying next to it.  
"what happened to your finger?" he asked moving to examine her sword.  
  
"um, I cut it, on my sword by accident." Spark was looking at the hilt with wide eyes.  
  
"do... do you know what this sword is?"  
  
"um, no" she said looking at him. wondering if he was still sane.  
  
"this, this is the dragon slaying sword of Ereas!" He looked really worried now.  
"is that bad?"  
  
"tell me, did any of you're blood spill on the sword?"  
  
"um, just a drop, but why does that matter? It's just a sword"  
  
"you have no idea, the Ereas don't just make swords, they bind them, with magics, who ever makes a blood pact with one of there swords, and proclaims it as there own,will be insperatable, the sword will not coraparate with another, but if it lands in the hands of a dark magician..." he trailed off and stared at the sword " the sword will start killing it's master, everytime the sword is swung,it will cut a piece of your flesh,it will make you bleed, as many times as it's swung. it's a danger Medea, a danger i'm not sure your ready for"  
  
"give me my sword" She told him. He looked at her as if she was crazy.  
  
"are you crazy? what if you lose it?"  
  
"it's the only thing I have of my parents, and I won't let it go!" she told him throught cletched teeth. HE relucantaly handed it over.  
  
"be careful with it" he told her as she went upstairs to her room ~or it will killyou~ he thought as he went up after her.  
  
The day dawned groggy and cold. The group had a hard time getting up, but they managed. Medea had a major head ache which wasn't like her at all.~strange~she thought "I never get headaches" She said out loud. The only one down stairs was Ches, and he looked over at her.  
"maybe it's all the sun, it is the desert after all"  
"no, I don't think so, once, I walked from Kanon to Flaim, and I didn't get so much as a twinge of..." she stopped as the pain struck her again.  
  
"what's wrong?" Came garracks' deep voice as he came down the stairs.  
  
"Medea's got a migraine, she.."  
  
"it's not a migraine, just a little headache"  
  
"oh, so your a wimp and can't take pain?" came sparks' voice from the stairs as well. " I think I know you better than that,even with just 2 days of knowing you."  
  
"we can stall a little if you need some rest" came Ches's voice. Or at least she thought it was Ches, it could have been Spark,she couldn't tell.  
  
"NO!" she stoud up and put her hand to her side "I will not delay this group" she picked up the pack, but Ches took it from her. She looked up at him with question.  
  
"at least let me carry the pack" he said, it wasn't a question, it was a demand, one which she would have to abide by, there was no negociating with him this time. SHe nodded in agreement.  
  
*some tyme (get it, tyme, time? okay, yes, that was bad) later  
  
They were trudging up the hill, walking a little slower as the incline got steeper.Ches, who was walking a little behind Medea, kept looking from the ground, making sure MEdea was still walking, and not collapsing. her head aches were getting better, but they were still pretty bad. she stumbled along, not quite sure where she was going, just followed the wavering ax infront of her. Suddenly, her leg went down into the mountain,  
  
"Ahh" she said in surprise and pain, she had twisted her ankle as she went down great. The people ahead turned to see what the cause of this was.  
  
"Medea?"Ches hurried up to her and looked at the hole "gopher hole" he muttered.  
  
"you know, at the moment, i'm kinda not caring what made it, but how to get my foot out of it." she said,a bit strained. Ches, gently pulled her foot out of the hole. "thanks" she said off handley. She gingerly put her foot down and winced, yup, that was definitley sprained. she walked on it, trying not to hint to the others how much pain she was in. Her head felt way better since they had stopped at the stream a while back, and they were gradually ebbing away. she walked slower now, and Ches caught up with her.  
  
"you sprained your ankle" he told her,more in the knowledge of he knew, than fact.  
  
"no, it's fine"  
  
" you did Medea, no matter how much you try to hide it, you did"  
  
"and how would you know?"  
  
"because a) you're limping on it and b) no one, absoultley NO one with or with out a head ache could step in that hole and not end up with a sprained ankle."  
  
"well that makes sense. but my head aches are better anyway"  
  
"plus, I saw youwince on it"  
  
She stopped and turned around,closing her eyes against the glare of the sun "look, if you're going to make a habit of watching my every move, then I'd..." she opened her eyes, he was right in front of her, staring at her. She stared back into his blue eyes.  
  
"then you'd what" he asked, still staring at her.  
  
"I'm sorry, were we talking?" she was compleatly mesmorized by those blue orbs. her voice brought her back to reality, and she shook her head slightly. she turned back, but he grabbed her arm,  
"I want to know, you'd what?" he held her again with his hand and his eyes.  
  
"Hey! you two! let's get moving, we want to get a little farther before sundown!" Garrack called, bringing them alive again.  
  
"we're coming!" Ches called, and he put his arm around Medea's waist to help her up the rest of the hill.  
  
"Ches, don't touch me like this when we're around the others,they might think somthing's up"  
  
"okay Medea, I'll protect your professionalism as much as possible aright?" he smiled as he talked. They were almost to the top of the hill " and I won't tell them about your ankle either" Medea smiled softly at him.  
  
"thank you Ches, thanks alot" they made their way to the very top of the hill, and gasped at what they saw... Tertate, one of the holiest cities in Flaim, had been burnt to the ground. The rest had stopped as well, not believing what they saw. "dear god" medea said, barely a wisper.The captain was the first to Move, he closed his eyes and swallowed.  
"come along, we'll do what we can for the survivors." he told them. Garrack and Ryna followed Spark down the hill, holding eachother close. Twig followed them, then Lein, his face to the ground. Ches followed Lein, but stopped when Medea didn't follow him.  
"Medea?" he walked back up to her. LIke spark, she closed her eyes and swallowed,but she didn't speak. she just walked down the mountain, limping along. Ches followed, but soon caught up with her.  
Spark made his way through the burnt buildings, pulling people who were still alive out of them in case they collapsed, Lein moved from person to person, putting healing spells on them, and even Twig went from the victims wispering words of corage. Ches went around the buildings like his father. He found an old man in one of the buildings, surrounded by a golden light, the chairs, and funiture around him were burned but the bed he lay in was not. Ches walked up to him, and looked at him. The man opend his feeble eyes.  
"don't worry, I'll get you out of here, just hold on'  
  
"please" the old man wheezed "don't move me, let me tell you who did this.." he coughed. "my time is close, very close. but let my dying breath be useful."  
"who did this, please tell me so we can avenge your family."  
"it was.. just one man, his was evil. so evil. he sent fire spells, burned the town down he did, so horrible."  
  
"did he.. did he have a name?"  
  
"he called him self, licec" that was the man's last words, the glowing aura stopped and the man's eyes closed. Ches stoud and went out to Lein.  
  
"lein, there's a man that needs to be at peace. coud you help him?"  
  
"sure, there are so many lost here, it's terrible. but there are some who are lost, in a different way." he nodded to a small building, about ready to collapse. Ches looked at Lein, but he was already gone. He shrugged and went to his father, who was talking to a young woman, crying and holdin a bundle of blankets  
  
"my baby, my baby" she was crying, they were tears of joy for her baby.  
"god bless you, you must have been sent by Marfa her self."Ches noticed the small circlet on the woman's forehead. Even at the metion of Marfa, his father grew to tears, but this time, probably in respect for the priest of marfa, he kept his face expressionless. Spark sighed nad stoud up.  
  
"father, I have some information." Ches told his father what the old man had told him.  
  
"so this licec (liececk) guy burned down a whole town? just with fire spells, that seems impossible"  
  
"not really, bye the looks of how the wood burned, it seems likely."Twig said, coming up behind them carrying a large stick of ashy wood.  
  
"but what about the soilders?" Ches asked. twig and his father looked down at the snow.  
  
"they,, they were killed first, a whol load of them, they weren't burned though, probably a death spell, or a spirit" Twig said sadly. Tears were running down the young elf's face. Ches patted her back, then walked off to investagate for him self. He past by the house Lein had pointed too, and remebered his words "some who are lost in different ways" he entered throught the burned doorway. There was poetry carved on the boards some he could make out, the oldest was at the far corner.  
  
I miss you daddy,  
I wonder were you are  
I miss you mommy  
have you traveled far?  
I miss your hair  
gently hitting my face  
I miss you hugging me  
your warm embrace  
are you coming to get me  
are you coming for me?  
or an orphan forever shall I be?  
  
Me.  
  
The signature was just two letters Me. Not intinals,just two letters, Me, Medea. She didn't have a last name, she had told him. there was a whole row with the letters Me at the bottom. The latest ones were strange:  
  
Not with parents to call her   
Own life to prepare for   
Nothing to guide her   
Amist the ruins of Time   
Much to cry for   
Emotions hidden   
Drying tears on her   
Extra blanket   
Anti social, afraid of loving   
  
Knight of lodoss  
Not of Flaim  
In the darkness  
God's to blame  
He stands alone  
Too afraid to love again  
Old and croked  
Forever again  
?  
  
Me  
He read them over and over again trying to under stand what they meant. Some of the things didn't connect, heck they didn't even ryme, not like her other poems. He shrugged and went up the creaking stair case, which was amazaing still intact. He looked around upstairs, a figure, hutched over, was staring at the wall. Her fingers tracing the lettering on the board. She was wearing armor......  
  
"Medea" Ches sat on her right side, where her hand was raised.  
  
"I wrote this, she fingered the words loveingley, getting small splinters in her hands. she seemed so distant, like she was in a world of her own. Ches read the words:  
  
Mares and Foals  
stumble  
in the morning mist  
running from the dark  
where there shadows remain  
I live in the light  
but carry my dark inside me  
  
"I've never been anywhere near a horse, yet I wrote about it. 3 times"  
Ches looked over on the boards right next to the poem he had read. She was right, each one was about horses.  
  
"I lived here,Ches, in these walls, these poems are testimony to that."  
Ches just sat there next to her. He relized what Lein had meant. Medea was lost, in her memory. the memory that wasn't compleate. Her eyes were glazed over. She had always been so strong. Now, she seemed so, terribly weak. Ches just sat there, staring at this girl, the girl who had fought a head ache, who had delt with a sprained ankle, the girl who had slammed him into the pavement with one punch. She was lost, like a little girl, so lost. Suddenly, the floor fell from under Medea, quickly Ches grabbed her hand, it was a pretty long drop. Medea was awake from her daze and clearly alert. Her eyes darted around, then fell on the under floor of where Ches was sitting  
  
"Ch...." she barely got out the first syable before the floor gave way and Ches tumbled down, falling on top of Medea in the process. Then the whole house caved in, with Medea and Ches right in the middle of it. boards and Bricks tumbled ontop Of ches and Medea, Ches got the worst of it because he had fallen on top of Medea by "acciedent" (yeah right). when the final brick had fallen, and the dust had cleared Lein,Twig,Garrack, Ryna and Spark all came running over. They all looked throught the ruuble to make sure ther're wernt people, but what Garrack found under a Large piece of roofing tin proved other wise. Twig was the first one over, and she giggled a bit about how the two were placed.Ches was lying directly on top of her, and his cheek was lying against hers. Their eyes were closed from the dust and Medea's arms were wrapped around Ches. Her arm plates dented and tarnished. Ryna saw it next and smiled and laughed outloud. Even the Refrained priest had to smile at that. Garrack cracked up laughing,making the two 'lovers' -_- aware of there audience. Ches threw him self off of Medea, and Medea just looked at all of them with wide eyes, then she sat up.  
  
"um, it's not what it looks like!" Medea said,quite aware of how red her face was.  
  
"yeah we were sitting in the house and we fell..."  
  
"well if you guys wanted to be alone you should have just asked us" Spark joked. The group laughed, and Ches and Medea buried there faces in their hands.  
  
"oh boy..."  
  
"they were probably just bored,"Twig said" we've been pretty lucky so far with..." an arow zoomed past her head. Medea jumped up.  
  
"you had to say it didn't you?" Medea yelled at twig. Ches stoud up as well and drew his sword. Medea and Spark did the same. Lein pulled his spear from his back, and looked wary. Garrack stoud still, listening for sounds. Medea was closing her eyes, constrating on where they were.  
  
"THERE!!"She yelled pointing to the cliff in the distance. Twig readied an arrow, but it was shot from her hands. "there pretty good" Medea said to Spark.   
  
"well crew what do you say to some dodging practice?" They nodded,  
  
"let's go!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
whew that was a long chapter.probably one of the longest I've ever written, and I wrote it in... 3 and a half hours.....  
anyway, the fighting will get better, I know these first few chappys have been sorta blah, but I need you guys to get used to the characters, the way I portay them. oh, that last poem about horses, that was from "the dead of Night" by John Marsters. Very good book, so is it's sequel and prequel "A killing Frost" and Tommorow when the war began" they are really really good, give em a try. I promise you next time I write, it will be major action, and DEFINITLY not as long.  
oh yeah, can anyone guess what the poems mean, the ones ches couldn't figure out. ther'll be a prize for the first person to guess it......  
  
ja ne!! 


	4. Celebration...... an odd night

They raced to the hill, dodging arrows from above. Medea's adreniline was pumping, making her run faster every minute. She scaled the cliff quickly coming up over it at a corner and slicing one of the warriors head off. That alerted the others to her. she battled with them feircly, blocking, thrusting out with her sword. Finally, the others came over the wall as well, Spark in the lead. Imediatly, Twig used her magic to summon water spirits to confuse the warriors. Then garrack attacked, he slaughtered the dark elves first, who put up very little resistance on the others. THen he went for the swordmen. Twig hit a few fleeling soilders with her bow, then muttered another spell.  
  
sleeping spirits of the forest  
I summon thee,  
use your powers  
to confuse the enemy  
the spirits danced around the soilders head, distracting them so Lein could put them to sleep using a manna spell.  
  
Medea was dueling with a particular nasty soilder, who kept hitting her in the back of the knee. She flich once or twice, the persist in her fighting. SHe got distracted when Spark called her name. He was barely holding off a dragon tooth warrior(it was strong okay?) and needed a bit of help. that was just enough time for the soilder to knock Medea's sword out of her hands. She backed away and pulled her pole from her back. she blocked the sword from coming down on her head.Medea kept contact with the sword, trying to hold him off. Suddenly, he relented, and fell to the ground.... without a head. Garrack smiled from where the soilder had been. Medea smirked back in way of thanks. Then they went off the little ones that were still around. Most had either fled, and were now lying in the dust a few meteres away, or were lying dead on the grass. Spark had managed to beat the dragontooth warrior, and was now trying to get information out of the mortally wounded soilders.  
  
"who sent you?" spark asked the soilder,   
  
"WHO??" he screamed, punching the soilder on his already bruised eye.  
  
"L..Licec" the man stuttered, choking on his own blood. Medea made her way over, picking up her sword on the way. She moved in the soilder's face  
  
"why?" she asked gently,examining his wound. His eyes looked brightened  
  
"Marfa? oh godess. I'm sorry for doing you wrong, it was just a job, I swear, please, don't take punishment on my family"  
  
"tell me, why did you attack us?"  
  
"he wants, the half elf, to resurec" he stopped and coughed his blood.  
  
"who?"  
  
"the warrior elf god. Merc" the soilder said, his breathing was faint  
  
"Marfa thanks you for your rightousness."  
  
Marfa goddess of earth  
give enternal peace to this man's soul.  
  
The soilder breathed his last breath, and died.  
  
Medea stoud up, and turned to her group.  
  
"what?" she asked, they all looked so forlorn.  
  
"sad, the way humans die" Twig said.   
  
"yeah, but we didn't," Ryna pointed out.  
  
"what was he talking about? we don't have a half elf" twig said asking around. "do we?"  
  
they all eyed eachother. Ryna and garrack were oviously not half elfs, Lein was a priest, Spark, no way, and Twig was a common elf. Then they looked at Medea. she didn't have pointy ears, but they never saw her magic. could she be... naay.  
  
  
"well, let's get going." Spark said. they nodded and began climbing down the cliff.  
  
"you guys climb DOWN?" Medea asked. Ches looked at her,  
  
"what do you mean?"  
  
"don't you jump?" Medea asked, and to demestrate, she jumped off the cliff.   
  
"MEDEA!!" Ches, Spark, and Twig ran to the edge, and saw Medea standing up, and dusting her self off.  
  
"what?" she said looking up. they all breathed a sigh of releafe. Medea waited for them to climb down. Then the grabbed the pacts from where they had left them in Tertate. Then the walked on to Throbe.  
  
"Medea..."Ches started, she turned to him,  
  
"yeah?"  
  
"are you.... never mind." Medea looked puzzled.  
  
"am I what?"  
  
"never mind ,it's nothing." they continued walking, until they arrived at Throbe, they checked into the inn, then went to go celebrate their first victory.  
  
"hey look, it's a grass runner!" called one of the guys in the bar. Medea turned, she wondered who it was, and if it knew Maar. She flipped the bartender a coin for her beer and went to the table were some men were playing poker. The grass runner, had a green hat and.....  
  
"Maar!" MEdea called surprised. The grass runner turned to see who called him  
  
"hey medea, how goes you're quest?"  
  
"actually pretty well, we're just celbrateing our first victory. Oh, poker "her voice turned vonerable and weak, like a prissy girl who wears make up and the guys always save from dragons. you know, girlie girls (which I hate with a passion, might I add) "can I play, I've always wanted to learn how to play poker?" the men smirked at her and said slyly  
  
"sure sweetie have a seat." Medea sat down and winked at Maar, who imeadeatly backed out of the game.  
  
"Now, tell me the basic rules please?" she asked, still in her sing songy voice.   
  
"well.. "and he explained poker in the stupidest way ever imagined. "first, you draw five cards and then you bet, as high as you can possibly go, who ever has the best hand, wins"  
  
"oh, that makes sense" she said all inocent and stuff (ack, gag me with a spoon!) Maar smirked, Medea was infamous in the local bar in Flaim, she was the best poker player around. She was just acting inocent to win.  
  
"well, hunny, start betting." Medea eyed her cards thought fully. then one of the nicer guys spoke up.  
  
"you can exchange your cards as well miss...?"  
  
"my name's Medea, no thank you I'd like to keep my cards." she eyed her cards again, and brought out a bag of money. she spilled the contents out in front of her. "well, I have about 23400 gold coins.." she then pushed it all infront of her. " i bet that." Maar gasped at her,  
  
"what are you crazy Medea???" Medea gave him a look that meant "i've got it under control."  
  
"okay baby, lets see what everyone's got.." the men laid down full house, pair, 2 pair, high card king, and Four nines. the man next to Medea lay down a straight. "well?"  
  
"is this a good hand?" she smirked as she lay down a royal flush. The men looked speechles as Maar wooped with joy. Medea collected the pot. During the 15 handed game, she won 13. ON the last hand, the whole bar was watching as she took on the guy who had won the other 2 matches. Half of the bar was on his side, the other hafe on hers. Maar and Garrack were on her sides, staring intently as Medea drew 2 more cards. Her face was expressionless. which, the other guy took for a bad sign (for Medea)  
  
"so little girlie, you wanna give up"  
  
"no" Medea said simply, flipping the cards wit her finger. "not at all." THe man concentrated, while Medea took a sip of her 7th beer (okay, she's just a smidge drunk, concequences later. promise). The man smirked and raised the bet to all of Medea's winnings. and then some.  
  
"maar, got any money?" she asked him, he shoke his head, so did garrack, Spark as well.  
  
"I've got some" Ches gave her what she needed. "as long as I get it back."  
  
"thanks" she said. Garrack moved so he could give medea the money. When he did, Medea kissed him on the cheek. Ches blushed crimsom.  
  
"no.. no problem." He kneeled ther next to Medea, as she added the bet.  
"call" she said simply. The man smirked and told her, "better pay up, cause here it is" he lay down a hand of 4 nines and one ace. Medea eyed the cards.  
  
"that's impossible." she told him.  
  
"oh? and why is that?"  
  
"because I have all four aces right here" she turned her cards so he could see them. She also Had a nine. Garrack reached for the man's cards and studied them  
  
"first of all, these are marked. second, they don't match the deck. you cheated. " the men crowded around the man walked over to the edge of the table and dicussed. Medea looked puzzled. when they came back, they had an annousement.  
  
"another hand" would be the only fair solution. Medea nodded.   
  
"of course' They drew again, and Medea face remained expressionless. She had just started her 9th beer, and was getting alittle dizzy. The man said. "call"  
  
"okay" She layed down her hand, four nines and an ace. THe man's eyes grew wide and fear full. He put down his hand. a full house of fours, and threes. THe men on Medea's side cheered. She smiled and finished her beer.  
  
"okay guys, that's enough for tonight." the aww from the table was terrible   
  
"come on, I need to win my money back." one of the guys complained.  
  
"sorry, sixteen hands was the deal." more awww. But the guys all shook her hand, and she loaded up her wallet. Ches meant her eyes when she looked up. She handed him a handful of coins.  
  
"here" she said smiling. He smiled back.  
  
"little bi..."came a snide voice behind Medea, but he didn't finish his words, because he was lying on the pavement. Ches had punched him.  
  
"go be like an egg, and scram" Medea said in elven launguage. Ches, and Medea were the only ones within ear shot that understoud. and They went out the door, trying not to laugh. They walked 2 blocks in supressed silence, until they looked at eachother and burst out laughing. They laughed along time before finally stopping. Medea was still laughing when she stoud up, and looked at Ches, right in his eyes. He looked back at her, and they kissed,it was a passion filled kiss. Breaths mingled, Hair was mussed, and lips were locked. (I am so bad at writting these things) Ches moved to kiss her neck. He trailed kisses all the way down her neck. Medea was breathless with glee. and then she fainted. Her body went limp in Ches's arms. He smirked at her and picked her up.  
  
"girls could never hold their achol." he said, and took her back to the inn. He went upstairs to his room (they had all gotten private rooms for the night) and lay her down on his bed. He pulled a blanket over her, and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Ches," she muttered in her sleep " i think I'm drunk"  
  
"yep" Ches grinned. "you are totally drunk"  
  
"come here. I wanna tell you a secret" Ches stoud close to the bed. "closer" she said "closer" as he moved his head close to her mouth. "little closer" He leaned as close as he could with out getting on top of her (he's just a smidge drunk as well, but not as bad as Medea.) "I like it." with that,Ches leaned back, and Medea turned over in her sleep. "ches, come and lay with me" she muttered again.  
  
"I don't think I could trust my self"  
  
"trust yourself with what? you're just laying next to me."  
  
"well" he thought abit "fine, alright" He had already taken off his armor when he entered the room. Besides, he wasn't tenically sleeping with her. Just laying. He lay down on his bed, on the opposite side of her. She moved in close  
"mmmm" she murmured. "you're warm" She snuggled into him, and traced his arm with her fingers. he was leaning on his elbow, and looking at her. She looked up with warm eyes, that were a bit blury. She smiled when she noticed him looking at her. " what were you thinking?" she asked him, He looked thoughtful, then said "nothing important, go to sleep, you look tired."  
  
"are you sure you won't try anything" Ches pretended in mock shock.  
  
"I'm a knight my lady, and would not do such things." she smiled lazily at him.  
  
"ah, the duty of a knight, but what, of a lady knight, would she need protecting as well?"  
  
"perhaps." He smiled at her, and she closed her eyes gently. "sleep now, you'll need it, because tommorow, you're head will hurt like the four hellz are burning. Now that I think of it, mine will too." Medea fell into deep sleep, with Ches watching her, until he too, fell into a deep slumber.  
  
  
  
  
okay, I know the first chappys have been pretty mushy, but it will get better! I PROMISE!!! you have my oath as a knight in training. (I love those trailers at the end of the COHK. They are bloody hilarious. anyway I"m coming up with a surprise in about two or so chappys. so get ready for that.   
Ja ne! 


	5. Blah..... the next day

Medea woke up with a splitting head ache. IT was worse than a Migraine, there was only one word for this: hangover. She roled over, trying to go back to sleep, but just knocked into another body, Ches.  
  
"Ow!" ches said as he opened his eyes, they had fury in them, but it imedeatly changed to laughter. "you've got a hard head Medea" She laughed softly.  
  
"gee, thanks. "Medea then got aware of her surroundings. "Okay, why am I in your bed, with you? For that matter, why am I in this room?" Ches looked at her puzzled.  
  
"Don't you remeber anything that happened last night?" he asked,quietly. She shook her head.  
  
"well, I remeber I played poker, and there was a lot of beer, there must have been, for me to get drunk, it takes alot for me to get drunk"  
  
"you had 10 beers." Ches said quietly, ~so much stuff happened last night, good stuff, but she doesn't remeber, guess I can't tell her. she'd think that I was lying. Maybe she just kissed me because she was drunk...~  
  
"Ches?" she asked, he looked distant. "what's wrong?" He shook out of his daze,  
  
"what? oh, nothing, just thinking." he smiled at her. "oh, to anwser you're question, you passed out in the bar,I took you back here,since I can't get into your room. Then I got tired so I decided to lie down" It was a lie, and Ches knew it, but MEdea didn't. she smiled at him.  
  
"thanks for getting me out of the bar,that was very sweet of you" She smiled at him again, and he smiled back, a bit sad. JUst them, the door burst open and Garrack was in the door way.  
  
"oh, that's where you were Medea, I couldn't find you in you're room."  
Ches and Medea sat up,  
  
"yeah,so Garrack, what's up?" Medea asked, not quite sure how to explain her being in Ches's room.  
  
"Captain just told me to wake everyone up, says we're leaving in a bit."  
  
"k, thanks garrack" ches said. Garrack nodded and winked at MEdea,who just rolled her eyes at him, and Closed the door. Medea streched out her arms, and got off the bed. Ches got off the bed as well. Medea picked up her armor plates for her arms and legs, and picked up her shoes as well. Ches watched her do this. MEdea smiled when she looked up and Ches was staring at her.  
  
"see somthing you like?" she asked him. He jumped at the sound of her voice, and shook his head vilently.  
  
"nn.n..no. of course not" he said shakely, his cheeks blushing red.  
  
"right, well I'd better go back to my room. thanks again Ches." she told him and walked out the door. Ches looked dazed at the door, then flopped back down on his bed.  
  
"you're welcome" he said.  
*  
  
When Medea entered her room, she closed the door quietly. But she jumped when she turned around. there was Ryna and Twig, sitting on her unrummpled bed.  
  
"sooo...." Twig said making the word sound dagerous. Medea walked to her small bag,and pulled out her kerchief she wore around her head.  
  
"so what?"  
  
"you know" said Ryna "what happened last night?"  
  
"absoulutley nothing! I passed out at the bar, you knew that, and he took me back to the inn. If you think he tried anything...." she stopped, she really didn't know what happened last night. He could have lied to her.  
  
"I dont'know what he told you, but you guys went out of the bar together, after you told some guy to 'act like an egg and scram" in Elfish. Then you guys ran out of the bar, barley containing you're laughter. I don't know what happened next, but by the time we got back, you and Ches, were asleep in his room."  
It was a little different to the story Ches had told,but he was a bit drunk too. So.. No! he's not that kind of guy,   
  
"he wouldn't do anything okay?" she screeched at Ryna and Twig. They walked to the door,  
  
"if that's what you want to believe,then fine. but ask him, what really happened." with that, they left. Medea was really confused. she didn't know who to believe,Ches, or Ryna. she pulled her mind back to her and began strapping on her armor. When she was done, she grabbed her bag, checked for her pole, and swung it on her shoulder. Then she relized she didn't have her sword. She looked around the room for it. Under her bed, everywhere. Then, suddenly, a stinging pain was on her shoulder  
  
"ahh!" she screamed. Someone was messing with her sword. she stumbled to Ches's room. and there he was,swinging her sword around.  
"Ches. give me the sword." He turned suddenly.4 more cuts appeared on her arms.  
  
"oh, hey Medea, nice sword, kinda light" he swung it around again making 2 more cuts, now on her legs.  
  
"Ches, please, give me the sword."  
  
"why? can't I see it? don't you trust me?"  
  
"yeah I trust you... but"  
ches interuppted. "so why can't I use your sword?"  
  
"because! ches.." he swung it again, and a cut appeared on her cheek.  
"CHes, give me the sword." she said calmly, even though she was losing alot of blood at the moment. when he didn't respond. "CHES!!" she screamed.She sank to her knees as 5 more cuts appeared on her legs.  
"GOD CHES GIVE ME THE SWORD," Ches turned around, and saw her lying on the ground, bleeding. HE dropped the sword and hurried over to her.  
  
"MEdea, what happened?" Medea pointed to the sword.  
  
"that sword is the dragonslaying sword of E.." Ches stopped her. Signalling that he understood. HE picked up the sword and gave it to Medea.   
  
"hold the handle." he told her. She looked puzzled but grabbed the holt with both hands. Instantly, her cuts dissapeared.All exsept for one on her shoulder, which was a thin gash that looked like a number one. "this sword would be no good if it can't heal it's master." MEdea shook her head and stoud up.  
  
thanks" she said.   
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know"   
  
"well, now you do.'" MEdea picked up the sheath and put the sword in it. She pulled the belt around her waist.  
"you about ready to go?"came Spark's voice from the door way. MEdea nodded, and so did Ches. "alright let's go" They nodded and walked out the door, down stairs, where the rest of the group was.  
  
"well, we ready?" THey nodded.  
  
"let's go!" they said,and the began their long trudge to Letica. It was the largest gap between 2 cities in Flaim, and it was all desert. Fun.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
okay, bad place to stop and yet another blah chappy, but I'm not going to do another one of the 'crowd everysingle thing you can think of in one chappy' thing okay? 


	6. Fortress...... a dangerous wound

They walked slowly in the scorching sun. Twig was exhausted, she was complaining too. And Garrack had to keep poking her to keep her moving. Finally, after they had crossed like the twelth billion dune, They saw the castle ahead.  
  
"YES!!!!" Twig screamed and started running quickly towards the castle. "yeah, yeah yeah. food! water! YEAH!!!!!!!" Medea had to smile at the elf's enthusiasim. She was looking foward to not.... no, a knight never complains, she does what she has too, for her country. Wouldn't it be eaiser just to be a free knight? MEdea was good at helping people, but to just swear your loyalty to one country. IT seemed unfair. She just shrugged as she made her way down the dune. Then she noticed somthing, little waves of footprints in the sand, all running from 3 sides towards Twig. She started running. She didn't like that at all. Spark noticed it as well, and Lein said there was a disurbance in..(the force? no not the force you dummy. the swartz? no not the swartz you lampre.) the air. (duh. oh). They all ran to Twig, who just kept running toward the castle. NO use, they couldn't catch up with her. Medea decided to use a spell.  
  
"warrior nyphs of the forest  
heed my call  
let the unseen  
be seen by all"  
  
The footprints now came with feet, and legs, and arms and faces. Dark farie. Medea pulled out her sword, as did Ches, and Spark. Garrack pulled his ax from his back as he ran. Lein ran ahead, trying to warn Twig. Suddenly, Twig stopped and looked around her.She called the water spirits to protect her. Spark and Garrack began chopping dark Farie,and Medea ran ahead, to the group coming from the direction of the castle. THey had oviously taken it over. Ryna followed her as she ran,chopping dark farie in half with her whip. Medea started another spell.  
  
"gentle mist that brings sleep..." (you all know this one. I just changed one word.) The 13 dark farie in front of them fell down, fast asleep. Medea and Ryna chopped their way through. Making it too the guards held up in the prison. MEdea chopped off the lock and let the guards and soilders out to fight the dark farie. Ryna and Medea followed them, the others had made their way inside, leaving a trail of dark farie in their wake, Garrack had a few scratches, Twig also. But nothing major. They began battlling them, moving to the very middle of the fort. There, the farie were stronger, and larger. THere were also fewer.Ches was barely holdin them off with his sword. Medea said another spell, and water nyphs confused the few stronger dark farie. Giving the mercs time to cut off their heads.  
  
"there's way to many of them" Garrack yelled throwing off a bunch that had attacked on him.  
  
"isn't there a way to kill them all at once?" Ches yelled back, spearing one of the giants.  
  
"only if someone could summon the king of the wind or somthing" Twig called back. they all looked at her, and she shook her head, and shot a farie flying through the air.  
  
"wait!" Medea said, pulling farie off her. "isn't there a queen farie in everybunch?"  
  
"yeah, but what would she be doing here?" Spark said, as he pushed a farie off his sword.  
  
"that's why all these giants are here. to guard the queen" Ches relized.  
  
"okay, here's the orders, Garrack, Ryna, Lein and Twig will stay here, Medea,Ches and I will go after the AAJHHH!" he screamed as an arrow went into his side, Ryna ran to him, Medea followed her, but Ches grabbed her arm.  
  
"we have to kill the queen" MEdea took one glance at spark, then ran after Ches. Medea put a few giant farie to sleep, and they both battled 4 large farie, ending up with MEdea's shirt sleave falling down her arm, and cuts on her face. and Ches with a few cuts in his shirt sleeve,and left pant leg. They kept walking. Then they stopped in horror. The queen was larger than 6 of the giant farie stacked up on top, and was covered in hard dragonscale armor.  
  
"oh boy" Medea said.  
  
"um, Medea, I think magic might be useful."  
  
"and dodging tactics. If I can hit her eyes..."she examined where the armor was and wasn't."there" she pointed to the area above the waist that wasn't covered. "Ches, when I hit both of her eyes, I need you to stab her there. OKAY?" Ches nodded. "and now the fun part. magic." She closed her eyes and concetrated. When she opened her eyes again, they were pale green.  
  
foot of the salamader,manna of all creation,become the fires of destruction" Fire balls flew from her hand and into the right eye of the farie queen, SHe screeched and reached down to grab MEdea. MEdea dodged her hand and ran to the left side. Then she began climbing up the armor. her eyes were back to their original green and brown. Seeing what she was doing, he ran to the dragon's right side, so her eye would be focused on him.  
  
"hey you! ugly! over here you big lot. hey I'm talking to you girly" ~Ches sure has a way with women~ Medea thought as she continuedto scale the armor (ha ha, scale, that's good.) Then she got to the part where there wasn't any (armor). She reached with her full extent to the next piece, barely reaching it. The dragon swung around ,knocking Medea's right hand off the bar of the armor.Medea put her feet back on the last bar of the armor below and pulled up with her left hand. then she continued climbing. She slipped a few times, each time she had just managed to grab one of the bars. She climbed holding on tightly, when the great farie swung this way and that. Her hands were getting sweaty from climbing and from nerves. finally, she reached the top of the armor. She closed her eyes again and concentrated. her eyes turned pale green once again,  
  
gnomes of the forest,  
salamader of fire  
I summon your power  
burn the..." she didn't get to finish, the farie turned violently, and with only one hand on, she slipped off,falling off the farie, into the ground.  
  
"MEDEA!!"Ches screamed. and he relized he had two choices, slay the queen while it was distracted, and riske the life of his friend, or help medea and get them both killed. Luckly, it was decided for him, when Twig came running in and used magic to slow Medea's fall. Ches lunged at the queen, burying his sword deep into it'stomach. The farie thrashed in pain, throwing Ches down. THE queen of the farie thrashed once more, then slumped on the ground, dead. Ches stoud up, and pulled his sword out of the queen's gut. The faries that had started runnning towards them extingushted in smoke.As did the queen it'self. MEdea stoud up.  
  
"thanks twig" she said. Twig nodded  
"hey, that's what friends are for. We all have duties to eachother, duties to protect, and duties to care for one another. that's just the way it goes." Medea nodded.  
  
*  
  
"how is he Lein?" Garrack asked, they were in a room, in the fort, spark was lying on the bed, his wound wrapped up in makeshift badages.  
  
"well, the wound's pretty deep, but I should be able to heal it" lein told him. MEdea looked at the wound, it didn't look write. suddenly, someone shoved her and she fell, barely missing spark's wound. she had gotten a bit of blood on her finger though. She moved it between her thumb and finger, observing it. It looked.... green.  
  
"wait!" Medea told Lein as he began to heal him. "don't heal him yet"  
  
"why?"  
  
"because the blood's posioned. the wound needs to be disenfected, or else the poison will kill him. I know how this stuff works. believe me"  
  
"well, I've had no medical skills, and they don't have a healer here. what are we suposed to do?"  
  
"I can do it. I've done this alot with knights who get into bad plants. this is just a simple beacte plant poison. I can clean it, and then after a few days, you can heal it."  
  
Medea" Ches started. "are you sure? you've just been in a battle, you'll need to rest"  
  
"I'm fine. to do this." Lein nodded to Ches,  
  
"fine"  
  
"Twig" Twig looked up at Medea "do know what a leatc plant looks like?" Twig nodded. "there's should be some in the kichtens, can you go get one for me?" She nodded again and went off to find the leatc plant. "the rest of you I need to clear out please. I get nervous if people watch. I might mess up." they all nodded and walked out of the room. Medea pulled off her wrist guards, and leg armor. Then she pulled off her chest plate as well. She pulled off her cut and bloodied shirt. Now she was in her black tank top and pants. She washed her hands in the basin. Leaf came in with the leatc and a motar and pestle to grind it with.  
  
"thanks"  
  
"good luck MEdea"  
  
"you think I'll need it?"  
  
"maybe"  
  
"real assurance twig." Twig smiled and left the room. Medea started grinding the leaf, adding a bit of water until it was a thick paste. She put the paste around the wound to make it numb and stop the posion from spreding farther. She opened her bag and pulled out a bottle of golden ointment. Maar had given it to her before she left.it was the ointement of the priest hobb. A great priest. Medea pulled a small role of bandage cloth out of her bag and ripped a piece off. she dipped it in the oitment. it now glowed golden. she used the cloth to spread the oitment around the inside of Spark's wound. It burned and stung, Medea knew. She had used this on her cuts once. but that was nothing to what was coming next. after she had cleaned the wound. she had to stitch it up. She pulled out a needle wrapped in clean cloth, and thick brown thread. she dipped each one in the ointment, then shook Spark gently awake.  
  
"hey captain" she said, he barely opened his eyes. "look, I'm going to do somthing that might feel a little painful, but it's better for your wound." she took his hand. "when it gets really bad just squeeze my hand okay? It will help." Spark nodded feeblly. "ready?" he nodded 'on the count of three. one two" she stuck the needle in the edge of his wound. "three" she started stitching up the cut, everytime the needle went into the skin, spark's hold on her hand would get alittle tighter. Finally, her whole hand went numb. Then she heard a sickening crack. Spark had just broken one of her fingers. One after another, each one of her fingers broke.  
"almost done Spark" she pulled the last stitch, and tied the knot. "okay,I'm done spark. We're going to let this heal a bit, maybe 2 days, then Lein will heal you okay?" He nodded, and said "thanks Medea." she smiled reasuringly, even though she couldn't move her left hand "you're welcome" She walked out of the room calmly, and shut the door. Then she went into panic about her hand  
  
"ahh! my hand! my hand is broken!!" Lein came running with Twig and Ches in pursuit.  
"what happened?" lein asked. looking her hand over.  
  
"he broke my fingers" the boys looked suddenly angry  
  
"on accident, on accident. it was alot of pain for him. it'll be okay."  
Lein nodded and healed medea's hand "thanks lein. OH, it went fine, and he will have to rest for 2 or three days, but after that, you can heal him okay?" she told lein that and he nodded.  
  
"um, i'll stay with him tonight, make sure his stiches hold." MEdea said. Ches smiled at her, and she smiled back. They all ate dinner, then Medea brought some food up to Spark. HE was still asleep when she came up. She set the tray of food by his bed, then exited the room quietly. SHe silently closed the door and turned around right into Ches.  
  
"well, we have a habit of bumping into each other." Ches grinned lighting up his whole face. Medea smiled gently at him.  
  
"only because you stalk me. Did you want somthing or were you just trying to get me to punch you again?" she asked jokely. he looked at her thoughtfully, then took her arm.  
  
"let's go for a walk" she shrugged and followed him out of the fort. They walked around the perimeter,keeping watch for the guards so they could eat dinner. Medea was walking away from the wall, her eyes scanning the flat land of desert. they had walked in silence until now, when Ches spoke up.  
  
"well, aren't you going to tell me?" MEdea kept her gaze on the horizon.  
  
"tell you what?"  
  
"your long and boring life's story?"  
  
"oh! that, well, I'll tell you part of it, the part I remeber." she took a deep breath and began.  
  
"when I was 3, my parents put me in an orphanage in Tertate. I stayed there for years. probably ten or so. I was about 4 when the heros of lodoss came back. I saw Sir Parn and Spark standing on the hill, and relized that was what I wanted to be. A knight, protecting what they love. I didn't ever think that I would save the country, and still don't. So, I started training, with my pole. It was like a sword, the same weight as the one I' had held. Then, after the caretakers had noticed me swinging it like a sword, they let me see mine." she touched the holt of her sword. "like I told you, they were afraid of me,so they took it away. So I continued to train with my pole. Then one day, I was looking at one of the half elfs we had, her name was leatiy, she was performing elven magic. I thought I could as well. SO I spoke the spell she had, and poof! there were the water nymphs I had summoned."  
  
"you're probably the only human to ever raise elfen spirits" she looked at him  
  
"what do you mean 'human'"  
  
"your not... human?" he was totally confused  
  
"not.. tenically. My mother was an elf. My father was a human. but I'm not a half elf. I mean I don't look like it. and I'm not going to live for thousand's of years." she explained  
  
"how do you know" he said deeply.  
  
"because the years would have past by quickly, and they didn't. That's why I wrote all that poetry. starting with my parents, ending with...."  
  
  
"I don't under stand that last poem that you wrote" Medea smiled geuniely  
  
"well, when weget off duty, I'll show you." he smiled back at her.  
  
"so, tell me the rest"  
  
"oh right. well, I grew with my powers, studing manna energy and stuff. When I was 13, the people transfered me to the Blade orphanage. I only stayed there for 2 years, only long enough to carve one poem on the outside wall. Then, they let me into the world, with only a bit of money, my sword, the clothes I wore, and my small pack of items. so, I started odd jobs to get some food. I did alot of stuff, but I refused to work as a maid. the palace offered me that job over and over again, but I refused. I worked as a page girl,an errand runner,and a black smith's assistant. that was fun, and got good money too. I worked at the blacksmith's for 2 years, and made my armor with some of the scrap metal I found laying around." she fingered the design on her armor plates lovelingly. "then, I saw a grass runner jump off a ship and go down an alley. I've been one for forest creatures for a while so I followed him. A thief was trying to make off with his wallet. so I knocked him down and beat him at swords. Maar was really thankful. that was 4 months ago. maar's the only true friend I've had in my whole life. For the past four years, since I had made my armor, I had tried out for knightship. I've never made it. I've had the best scores, and true swordsmanship, it's just the guys who pick them are sexist."she stopped and looked out to the setting sun "well, that's it. that's my past"  
  
"I really didn't think it was that.at...at..at boring "he yawned in the middle of his sencence.  
  
"nice touch" Medea joked.  
  
  
" I didn't mean it that way i just yawned." he quickly changed the subject. "so, do you remeber the poem you carved in Blade."  
  
"huhh? oh yeah, it was um "cold as winter strong as stone/she faced the darkness all alone./ a silver goddess, a reflection/ a mirage a recollection/no return, no turning back/ the past is gone, the future, black/serpents gather in their nests/and she stands above the rest/shadows hunt, she hunts the shadow/the moon is risen, she stands below./ she views her world through the eyes of others/ black and white, there are no colors/ and as she gazes upon a shattered youth/ a shattered mirror, shows a shattered truth/  
  
  
"wow depressing."  
  
"yeah, I wrote it about one of my friends that died. she was so strong about it. I thought it was a nice memoir."  
  
"it was, you're a great person Medea"  
  
"thanks Ches"  
  
"HEY!!" called one of the sentrys. Medea and Ches turned "you guys are off duty, go get some sleep!"  
  
"thank marfa" ches and Medea said simotainlously. They dubbled over with laughing, and when they stoud up, they got caught in each others eyes (again). Medea just stared into his eyes, so pure, not pulled of any color, amazing simply amazing. Ches was equally amazed by Medea's eyes, the're so contrasting, so, simply beutiful.  
  
"maybe we should go inside" Ches sugguested, stepping closer to Medea, she didn't srink back.  
  
"yeah, I should go check how captains doing" there tone was soft, and wispering.  
  
"yeah, in case, he,, he hurt himself. some how."  
  
"yeah" She leaned in closer to him.  
  
"probably should go check on him " he said, still moving in closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.  
  
"probably" she had layed her hands on his shoulders,and he had pulled her close,so close that they could hear eachother's heart beat.(which isn't too surprising because I bet those sentrys in the tower could her their bloody hearts beating. ha ha! bloody, hearts that's good. sorry I have the humor of King Kashue. -_-) Ches bent his head slightly, so that he could look into her eyes. She stoud a bit taller, so that there lips were perfectly alined. they both leaned in close............  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
bwahahahahahahaha CLIFFY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! man, I'm cruel.  
  
King Kashue:Parn, quick! what kind of school do you find in a duegon?  
  
Parn:a do jon (co ed) sire!  
  
Kk: you make me so proud, you're skill is growing (sniff)  
  
  
  
hee hee, I love the trailers in COHK, they are great, so freaky, so stupidly funny.  
  
oh, and by the way, it's exactly what you think 


	7. Wounds........ Ches, and Lein

"Hey!" called a voice. Medea and Ches sprang apart. " you're off of sentry duty. go get some rest!"  
  
"alright!" MEdea called back. She and Ches made their was towards the entrance of the fort. They walked up in silence towards the hall we're they were all staying.  
  
"I'd better go check on captain." Medea told him.  
  
"um, yeah. okay. good night" he entered his room and gently shut the door. Medea silently opened the door, Spark was thrashing from side to side. Medea moved quickly to hold him down. After a while, he stopped moving, and medea checked to see if he had popped any stiches. they were all intact. Medea sat on the floor next to him, and drifted off into a silent sleep.  
  
  
Medea was awakened by the sound of the door opening, and near silent foot steps toward her. She carefully opened her eyes, and saw Twig standing before her.  
  
"hey" she wispered. Twig sat down and looked at her ominously  
  
"so what's the deal?" Twig said. Medea just rolled her eyes  
  
"nothing's going on twig."  
  
"sure, and that little thing outside was just 'nothing'' Medead looked up shocked  
  
"you were suposed to be eating!"  
  
"well, let's just say my eating lead my outside. on the empty sentry post. that over looks the south wall. were you too just happened to be" she shrugged " i couldn't help but obvserve." MEdea rolled her eyes again.   
  
"he thinks about you alot" Twig said presently.  
  
"what do you mean?"  
  
" Garrack told me he has night mares, and keeps calling out for you in his sleep."  
  
"that's strange" the pair sat in silence for a while then Twig stoud up.  
  
"I'm tired, gonna go to bed. you?"  
  
  
"I should probably stay here tonight, make sure he doesn't pop a stich" Twig nodded tiredly and walked out the door   
  
"good night" she called.  
  
"night" MEdea called back. she stoud up and grabbed her bag from the bed post, and walked to the small bathroom...  
  
Medea came out of the bathroom with her hair up off her neck, her teeth brushed, and wearing long jersey type navy pants, and a baggy blue tank top. she sat next to Spark's bed again and took the cold wash cloth out of the basin and wiped his brow.  
  
"night spark" she said, before sitting down and pulling her knees to her stomach. she stared at the door, trying to keep awake, when it suddenly opened. MEdea stoud up on reflex and stared at the intruder.  
It was Ches.  
  
"ches, what are you..." he came running and pulled her to him. HE held her close and rocked his body from side to side like a child.  
  
"oh medea, oh god, I thought I had lost you. oh god... medea" he repeated this over and over, and only when Medea told him to sit down on the bed on the other side did she relize that he was crying. Just tears where coming down his face. she pulled him towards her and rocked back and forth, trying to calm him  
  
"shh. it's okay ches, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, shh shh..." she started singing the lullaby her mother had sung to her. Ches started to calm down a bit, and he slowly felll asleep. Medea laid him down on the bed and pulled the covers over him. She gently kissed his brow and wispered the last lines of the song. Medea sat back down in her usual place, and fell deeply into sleep.....  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Medea woke up to the bright daylight. She was laying on the floor with a blanket over her. It was the same one she had covered Ches with. The room was the same as before, exept he wasn't in it. she stoud up and looked at the small wooden clock on the wall. it read 10 o'clock.  
  
"oh boy" she streched out her arms and grabbed a rag from the pile in the corner " I slept in late." SHe dipped the rag into some achol solution and began cleaning the outside of the wound. Suddenly, the door burst open and Garrack stoud there, caring a limp body in his arms. It was dripping blood. Ryna and twig came next, Lein bewteen them, unconcious.  
  
"what happened?" Medea questioned as Garrack put the body at the last bed in the room.  
  
"we'll explain later, can you help us with him?" Ryna said,Medea got up and grabbed Lein's other arm. They lay him on a bed next to Spark's.  
  
"twig" Medea ordered "take that rag and clean Spark's wound, just the outside, and don't press to hard." Twig nodded and began to clean Spark's wound. Medea inspected Lein. He had a deep wound on the left shoulder, and cuts across his arms. "i'll have to clean that" she said offhandley, as she grabbed her bag. She cleaned and bandaged the lesser wounds, then stiched up the one in his shoulder, he took the pain better than Spark had, didn't even make Medea's hand numb.  
  
"you'll be okay, just a few days of rest, then we'll get everything healed." She told him, he nodded and drifted off to sleep. She moved to the next body, she pulled off the golden armor, and wiped the blood of the man's face. it was ches. She looked him over, he had a deep cut in his middle chest, a little below his heart, it went all the way through. Other than maybe 3 scratches on his arms, and a gash a little above his hair line, he was fine. She would have to do a double stich, on either side of his chest. She decided to start from the back. Twig was already close to the door, so  
  
"Twig, I need you to go get Garrack for me, tell him it's an emergency." Twig nodded and went out the door. Medea turned Ches over, pressing a cloth to the top of the wound.  
  
"you'll be okay ches, it's just going to hurt a bit." Garrack came into the room  
  
  
"garrack, I need you to hold him down" Garrack nodded he grabbed Ches's arms and held them down hard. Medea grabbed a new needle and thread and began sowing the cut up. Ches yelled quite a few times. but after the last stich he was silent. Medea quickly turned him over, and pullled the bloodied cloth away from the cut. Medea then began to sow up the top cut. After it was finished, all the gashes bandaged, and the blood clean up, MEdea had more blood on her clothes than she would have ever thought possible. And she was so tired she could have slep for a day straight. but she stayed up with the guys, only leaving them to wash the blood out of her clothes . Ryna was kind enough to bring her some food, when she brought the others some. But medea could hardly say thanks. Ryna understoud her nod, and walked away content. Medea cleaned the cuts every 7 hours, making sure there was no infection, and no extra bleeding.For four days Medea tended to them, Spark waking on the 2nd, strong as ever.Medea wanted him to rest for one day  
  
"come on medea, I'm fine" Spark complained for the 13th millionth time.  
  
"Captain, as much as I would LOVE for you to leave, you need to rest for one day, and then you can walk around as much as you please, but for now you will STAY PUT" she anwsered for the 13 millionth time.  
  
"well, as captain I order you to let me go!"  
  
"no dice captain, the rules change in the sick ward, I'm the commader now".  
  
*   
  
It had been 3 days since he had woken, and Medea was still totally stressed with taking care of Ches and Lein, Lein's stiches had popped out twice in the last 3 days, which meant Medea had to do them up again. Medea hated stiches,she hated the way they were tender for so long, the way you could never tell if they were secure enough and the way the stung. Today, both Ches's and Lein's had popped out, and Medea had about 2 hours of sleep in the last 5 days. She could barely walk about now. Finally, all that missed sleep, and the strain she had put on her body caught up to her, and she passed out. Garrack came into the room when he heard the slump of her body.  
  
"oh no. our healer needs a healer" he called to Spark, who came running.  
  
"oh no"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
cliffy. yay. okay, it's about 12:48, and I've been up since 6:00. I'm tired beyond all reason and I still have to clean up the bloody kitchen!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
arrrghh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!wow cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	8. Dilusion.....of love?

Garrack picked up Media and placed her on Spark's old bed. Spark touched her head gently.  
  
"she's got a fever" He announed and the room got deathly still.  
  
"that can't be good" Twig said. Spark dipped a rag in the water basin and placed it on Media's head.  
  
"it really isnt', we don't have a healer, or anyone to take care of these guys," he gestured to the two unconcious men.  
  
  
"why is she sick?" Ryna asked. Spark shrugged  
  
"might be from exhaustion, or from a virus, I dont' really know" Media groaned and moved her head weakly. "we just have to wait until she gets better"  
  
  
*  
  
For days, Media thrashed and yelled out in her sleep. She barely opened her eyes and would scream untangleble phrases.  
  
"the dogs, we have to give them dirt, it will help. feed them dirt." Leaf would barely go near her, she was frigtening. her eyes were glazed over and her hair in tangles. She looked like somthing out of a horror movie....  
  
One night, Media got out of bed, her eyes remained the glazed over look, she slowly walked to Ches's bed and knelt by his side. She touched the tender wound and Ches winced. Media ingored that and starte pushing on the sides of the wound. Slowly blood started to stream out of the puncture and fall onto Media's hands and the sheets. Media just kept pushing on the wound. MOre and more blood spilled out, and Ches screamed in Pain. Spark and Leaf came running in the room to see what the problem was, and were faced with a horrible sight. Media sat there, blissfully unaware of the blood pouring down her hands and shirt. Spark pulled her away quickly, but she resisted.  
  
"have to help him, the blood's bad, keep it away" she mumbled as she grabbed on the bedpost of Ches's bed. Leaf ran for Media's bag and pulled out the needle and thread she had used. Quickly, she wiped up the blood on Ches and on the floor, then handed the rag to Spark, who quickly wiped up the blood on Media's arms.  
  
"we're going to have to tie her down from now on" he told leaf. Leaf solemly nodded and stiched up Ches's wound.  
  
"she's out of control, this is really not good" Leaf stated the ovious.  
  
Spark was silent as he lay Media back down in her bed. Little did he know that the next week would be even worse. Bound down by the ropes and locks, Media screamed instead of thrashed. They were terrifying screams. Blood curtling screams. Ches woke up a few days later and was sitting by her side in a few hours. He watched over her. Day and night, hour after hour, only getting minimal sleep. His eyes, had only a few tears in them, ones which never quite reached the surface. Ches convinced Spark to take the ropes off, she was moving quite as often, infact, she hadn't moved for two days, just blinking, once, twice. then go back to her stare. that terrible lifeless stare, that only comes when it's close to the end.......  
  
"Media" Ches wispered. "please, you can't do this to me. Come on, you're a warrior, you can't die like this" He pushed strands of beautiful hair from a beautiful face. " I love you Media" he gently kissed her lifeless lips. He pulled away and sat by her side, hoping for signs of life. He wasn't granted any...  
  
"CHES!!!" Ryna called. Ches turned to the door way where the red haired woman stoud "there are dark farie outside, we need your help!" Ches stoud up quickly.  
  
"right" he ran out of the room, taking one glance at Media, then running to kill the dark farie.  
  
Media's eyes were staring at the ceiling, but a single tear dripped from her eye and fell on the sheets.  
  
"I love you too. Ches".......  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
BWAHAHAHAHAHA CLIFFFY!!!!!!!!!!!!1  
  
man, this is a really bad story 


	9. Wakening clothes?

"Ches..." Her eyes lost the glaze and she sat up. She touched her lips. They were warm whilst the rest of her was ice.   
"Ches" she wispered again. Her thoughts were silenced from the sounds of fighting outside. She grabbed her sword and rushed down the stairs almost knocking over Leaf on the way.  
  
"Sorry" she said over her shoulder as she ran. She threw off the sheath on her sword and ran to the aid of Twig, who was barely holding off the giant farie. With one clean cut, the Giant fell and Twig stared at who had taken it's place.  
  
"hey" Medea smiled at Twig. Twig stoud there and stared. Ches and the rest finished off the others and one by one stoud in front of Medea. She looked fine. Well, okay, she was in black shorts and a tanktop and her sword was swung around her hips, and there was that scar one on her left shoulder, but other wise.....  
  
  
"Me" Ches stammered "Me dea"  
  
"we thought you were going to die" Garrack told her. Medea looked at him puzzled  
  
"why?"  
  
"because you've been unconcious for 12 days"  
  
"that's a good reason" Medea smiled faintly. Ches stared at her hard, she was the exact same. Every thing about her was flawless like always.  
~jeez, I guess I'm in love~ he told himself and smiled at Medea. Hellz yeah, he was in love.  
  
  
But was she??  
  
"well do you need days to rest or??" spark began but Medea wacked him on the head  
  
"I've had plenty of time to rest. We had better hurry if we want to get to Valis in time" She began walking to the far exit of the fort.  
  
"um, Medea" Ryna started. Medea turned  
  
"what?'  
  
"Might I suggest clothes?" Medea looked down and blushed  
  
"uh,, heh heh" She rushed back inside and threw her clothes on. Then, grabbing her bag and checking for everything she left 3 gold pieces on the table and ran outside to the others.  
  
"well, are we ready?" She asked. they all nodded and Ryna and Garrack grabbed the packs. Medea looked at Ryna but she just smiled and wispered  
  
"I'm sure that you and Ches have other things to talk about besides who is going to carry the pack" Medea rolled her eyes and began walking  
  
"baka mono" she said when Ryna was out of ear shot  
  
"takes one to know one" came Ches's voice. Medea turned outraged  
  
"that had better not mean what I thought it meant"  
  
"and more" he said and walked next to her. "what was wrong with you?" he asked suddenly  
  
"what do you mean?"  
  
"you were delirous and always haveing a fever. what was wrong? or do you even know?"  
  
"I think it was from exhaustion" she said, sounding like she didn't want to talk about it. But she did, she really needed to talk about it. ~somthings wrong, I felt it when I was asleep, someone's trying to get me. someone's trying to hurt me" Help me Ches!! she wanted to scream, but she kept it inside. Little did she know the price she would later pay for that single decision 


	10. This is all your fault

sorry about the break people I'll get right back to it. By the way this might suck cause i've already written 5 other updates today and my fingers and brain are tired.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Medea and the group staggered on through the rocky gorges of Valin. Finally,after many days, they reached The free city of Kanon. Their mission was to deliver the note to King Etoh, but when they had arrived at his palace, they had found that Etoh had gone to the province of Kanon. SO now their journey was leading them throug Kanon. Unfortunately, They had run into quite a few scurmishes.  
  
"The soilders are all wearing an odd crest, even I can't reconize it" said garrack as the stopped for the knight in the middle of the woods.  
Medea was feeding wood into the fire. Listening to the light breathing of Leaf and the talk of Garrack was oddly comforting. Ever since they had arrived in kanon, she felt at ill ease. Like somthing was about to happen, and she needed to prepare for the worst. Ches had become distant after their last battle with the unknown enemy. Medea was worring about him. At night, he would go off by himself and not return till all were alseep. Now, after they had eaten, Ches rose from his place on the ground and wondered off into the depths of the forest  
  
"there he goes again" Spark said  
  
"you're not worried about him?" Medea asked him.  
  
"he needs to sort somthing out oviously, I just wish I knew what it was"   
Medea stared at the place where Ches had vanished into the forest. She stoud up and brushed off her clothes. She had taken off her arm bands and leg armor for the night. Now she grabbed her sword and followed Ches into the forest. She heard him tromping thorugh the forest and followed the sounds. Being half elf, she made little or no sound as she followed him. Finally the sounds stopped. She followed her gut instinct and went straight ahead. Ches was there, sitting on a rock in deep thought. he had his sword sheath across his knees and from time to time, would open it, look at the blade in disgust and close it again.  
  
"ches?" medea said coming out of the shadows into the clearing. His head shot up.  
  
"oh, Medea. I didn't hear you"  
  
"yet another perk of being half elf." she smiled and sat down next to him.   
  
"why'd you follow me?"  
  
"cause i'm worried about you Ches, you don't tease me, you don't talk to me, you barely aknoledge my presence. And you always go off alone at night" She nudged him gently in the shoulder "come on, talk to me"  
  
He looked at her, REALLy looked at her. And then he did somthing unexpected.(warning: please send all children away from the computer screen)  
  
He kissed her  
  
and she kissed him back.   
  
The kiss was passionate,full on, beautiful. neither one had ever been kissed like that. Ches put his hand on her cheek (her cheek on her face, not.. the other cheek) and ran his fingers through her hair. Medea was the one who broke the kiss.  
  
"What was that for" she wispered. Ches smiled gently and moved his finger softly across her cheek  
  
"for being you" he kissed her again, stronger this time, with more passion. She kissed him back and they sat there together, totally unaware of the ten eyes staring at them behind the shadows.  
  
"hee hee hee. i knew this would happen" Spark laughed like an old man (yes, he finally got some pants now)  
  
"aren't they soo cute???!!" Leaf giggled with hearts in her eyes  
  
"I knew they were meant for each other" Ryna said (have you noticed that if you reaarage the letters in Ryna's name you get Ryan?/)  
  
  
"hey boss, is it true that we're gonna meet up with Parn and that group later?"  
  
"garrack shut up you're ruining the story!"  
  
"oh come on, we all know what's gonna happen. They get married and their child becomes some sort of witch or somthing then she dies and they live happily ever after"  
  
"I hate being stuck with imbiciles" Ryna complained  
  
  
  
  
  
didn't I tell you it's complete mush?????????  
  
my brain hurt!! wahhhhhhhhhh~!!!!! 


	11. The secretFather?

only 5 more days till "The Two Towers"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The group regained their two members and went on to the Secret hiding place of the army of Kannon.   
  
  
"Spark, why are we going there? it's sure to be deserted" Leaf complained for the ubbtenth time.  
  
  
"It's not.... 'Spark told her "kannon has been taken over ONCE AGAIN, by an unknown enemy... We're going to help defeat this enemy" Leaf sighed and continued on.  
  
  
  
Medea and Ches were walking at the back, like they always did. They were talking semi quietly as they trudged along.  
  
"Medea" Ches started, but then stopped. He did not want to bring up the painful memory of her parents.  
  
  
"Ches, if you're going to ask me somthing. ASK IT. Don't just trail off"  
  
"sorry" he mumbled, looking down at his feet.  
  
  
The group trudged on, only stopping twice for second breakfast(heee hee hee. extra no-life points if you can guess what movie that's from.) and lunch. Finally, Spark stopped at a crossing in the road  
  
  
"I dont' know where we are........."  
  
"that's probably not a good thing "Medea mocked as she walked up and stood next to Spark " you mean 'you have no memory of this place'?"  
  
"yes... I'm sorry. I don't know which way to go.. This was the place that..." Suddenly, they were ambushed. A large group of soilder incircled them, bows armed and ready. Medea placed her hand on her sword and Ryna took out her whip( I'm sorry. but a WHIP??? can we say WUSS!) "that we were ambushed at..." Spark finished.  
  
"What buniess does Spark, the duke (awww shoot... what's his title?) have in Kannon" they heard a deep voice ask. Medea was confused. SHe had heard that voice before... Once, long ago.. But she had never been in Kannon.. never in her whole life!  
  
"Parn!" spark exclaimed and went to greet his old friend. Medea gasped.  
  
  
  
  
"Spark! how are you old friend?"  
  
"fine and you?"  
  
"just fine." he looked at the companions, but did not notice Medea, who was standing in the shadows "what buiness do you have in Kannon Spark?"  
  
"We came to help with the Unknown Enemy... and we're also looking for Etoh"  
  
"well, we're greatful to you and Etoh is with us." He glanced at the companions once more. "we were on manuvers at the moment, but we're heading back if you'd like to join us. I'm sure we can find room for six"  
  
"seven" Spark corrected.  
  
"seven? but I see only six?"  
  
"No. there are seven of us: Ryna, Garrack, Leaf, Lein,Ches, Myself and Medea"  
  
"Who is Medea?"  
  
"I am" Medea stepped out of the shadows. Parn looked her up and down. When he got to her eyes he gasped softly.  
  
"Medea"  
  
  
"hello father"  
  
  
  
  
CLIFFY!!!!  
  
  
okay, now I've got to go eat Papa John's chicken nuggets for dinner  
  
  
how nutricious o_0 


	12. time to heal

They followed the group to the secret hide out of Kannon, Medea in silent wonder. Her father... was PARN?? The minute he had spoken, andshe had seen him, she knew. Parn... was her father. Maar had spoken of Parn so many times,all the great deeds he had done, and yet, he had not had enough time for his daughter? She looked at the back of his head, as if he had felt her glare, he turned, and his eyes caught hers.  
  
They were the same color as her right eye. She glanced down to break their gaze and Parn turned back.  
  
'Why father?' she thought as she continued.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
This couldn't be! Ches thought exasperately. How could Medea be Parn's child? of course, this would explain her nature, and her sword abilities, and most people knew that Deedelit traveled with Parn, so, in reality, it made sense, but something about this was completely off.  
Why would Parn, the Free Knight abadon his daughter? What would drive him to that?. It was more than chase could handle, first his... problem, and now this? what next? He was walking next to Medea, and witnessed their glances.  
  
'Come on" he wispered and pulled Medea with him to the back of the company. She looked puzzled but followed him just the same.  
  
"What is it?" she asked him when they were out of ear shot of the rest of the company.  
  
"nOthing, I could just tell you were uncomfortable."  
  
"Thanks" she sighed, and threaded her fingers through his. He smiled gently, and pulled her closer, so as they were leaning on each other.  
  
"Ches, why do you think my father and mother abadoned me?"  
  
"I was thinking the same thing Me.(thats her nick name) "  
  
"So, why do you think he did it?"  
  
"I dunno. Maybe they were frightened...." Medea gave him a look that said "and pigs fly in Guam"  
  
"Okay, maybe not, but still, Deed and him travel a lot... maybe they thought they couldn't keep you around."  
  
"You know what, I bet it was the war."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"the war Ches. With Neese and all. I was four when I saw Spark coming home, Thats when i decided to be a knight. And didn't the war start about four years before it ended?"  
  
"Well, yeah... but... That means you're way older than me!"  
  
"Well, I am 30" Ches fell down on the ground, making a tremedous clatter.   
  
"30/???????!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!" Medea pulled him and covered his mouth with her hand.  
  
"SHUSH! Yes, i'm thirty, but everyone is SUPOSED to think I'm eighteen So SHUT IT"  
  
"you look like my age"  
  
"as I said, there are perks to being a half elf, one is you DON"T AGE rapidly" Ches was still slightly shaken by that.  
  
but they continued on. Soon they reached the rock face that opened the door to theKannon secret hide out. THey entered, and Medea was greeted by great stares from all.  
  
"that is Parn's daughter"  
  
"look at her eyes, their green and brown  
  
"how well she carrys her self"  
  
Medea blushed but followed the Group to an eating area. A woman with the palest blonde hair Medea had ever seen, dressed in a green dress, tall boots, ad a blue cape, she was a lovely image to behold. Even Ches had to stare at this beauty. She turned, and Spark, Ches, and Garrack gasped at her eyes.  
  
Exactly the shade of Medea's left eye.  
  
"Spark, what a pleasure to see you again" deed said, Spark smiled, and Parn walked to Deed and embraced her.  
  
"Please sit" she signaled to the the seats, most took seats, but Medea stayed in the shadows, standing. Parn wispered something in her ear, and her pale green eyes grew wide. She glanced in the shadows, and her lips moved but no sound came out.  
Spark stared at her, she seemed memorized by the shadows where Medea stood.'Well of course, I would be too, if my child was standing there.'  
Deed had jumped out of stupor and sat down, Parn standing next to her.  
  
The group discussed their journey and tatics and such when a messenger entered the room.  
  
"Sir, a enemy caravan of goods have been spotted about 3 leagues from here"  
  
"excellent, we can hit them there. what direction are they traveling?"  
  
"straight towards us sir"  
  
"excellent." he turned to the younger mand "Spark, will you and some of your party join me to raid the enemy. Get your best men"  
  
"what if one of my best is a woman?"  
  
"that is fine. Deed?"  
  
"I think I will remain here" she said quietly, " Iwould like to talk to Leaf and Lein a bit"  
  
"Of course. Soilder"  
  
"yes sir?"  
  
"gather Captain Truthe and tell him to take 3 of his best men, and meet me at the gate."  
  
"Sir!"  
  
"Spark, are you ready?"  
"yes, just a minute: Garrack, and Medea, Ches as well."  
  
"if its okay, I'd like to stay here"Ches muttered,  
  
"Sure"  
  
"lets go"  
sweeeeeeeet!!!!!!  
  
it fuinvikfcpvckj 


	13. Fight in the Forest

Hello! I'm back!   
  
Important NOte: I was just rewatching Chronicles of a Heroic Knight for the uptenth time, and I noticed a crucial error in this story. You see, Parn seems to have BLUE eyes and not BROWN like my story describes. I'm actually kind of amazed that no one pointed this out... anyway, the reason I picked Brown instead of Blue is that Brown and Green have suck a terrific contrast, compared to Blue and Green... and I have brown eyes, that's a good reason too..... anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!  
The caravan passed slowly in the woods, the wheels sqeaking only slightly. Suddenly, one of the men stopped and glanced around  
  
"What is it?" another man asked.  
  
"I don't know.... Something..." He didn't have time to finish his sentence,In a flash, the caravan was surrounded. Then the fighting ensued.Parn and Spark charged at the leaders, while the rest of the dozen or so fought against the fifty odd men of the caravan. Medea was the only female, but she took down more soilders than three of the men. (Except for Spark and Parn of course, and Garrack) They fought bravely. Medea was fighting a particularly nasty bloke, who was about seven feet tall, and quite cordinated for a man of his stature.   
"you know, you move pretty fast for a big guy"she shot at him as she dodged his club once more  
"Heh Woman. Heh"He swung the club and grazed her shoulder~ great, a splinter~  
  
"Joy, a Dumb One. Then anwser me this" she ducked from his club once again,dodged a tree, and parried another hit with her training sword.  
"If a rooster sits on top of a barn and lays an egg, which side does the egg role down?"  
  
"Woman... heh. heh. Want" the man raced at her and shoved the club in her gut. Medea doubled over, and the bloke grabbed her around the waist and slammed her into a tree.  
  
"um, ow" she grunted in pain as he slammed his club down on her stomach once more. This time, she brought her Foot to his gut, and he keeled over in Pain. That gave her time to chop his head off cleanly. She parried a few times with a little kid(not literally, but he was young) and knocked him out with the butt of her sword. Suddenly, she saw one of the cart carriers charging toward Parn. From behind. She took her sword in hand and launched it through the air,strait at the cart carriers neck. It stuck into the base of his neck and stayed there, and the cart carrier fell over dead. Parn turned, looked at Medea, who raised her head slightly and stared back.   
  
"Thanks" he said quietly,   
  
"your welcome" and they continued their fighting.   
  
Finally, after the last one had run into the forest, the small group took the horses and carts, and headed back to the fort. thing.....  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Medea" Parn called to the young woman.  
  
"what?" she turned to face him.  
  
"Can I speak with you?"  
  
"No"  
  
"What?, I'm your father"  
  
"No, you see, you might have given one of the x chromosome's that birthed me, but, you're not my father"  
  
"I don't understand"  
  
"you were never there, that's kind of the role of the father isnt' ? To take care of his child?"  
  
" I think you're being a tad bit judgemental"(yes, parn is slighlty out of character, but you would be too if you just saw your daughter for the first time in 25 years!)  
  
"Not really" Medea, playing the role of angry teenager, stalked off. To run into Ches.  
  
"Whoa, charged aren't we?"  
  
"back off Ches, I'm not in the mood and I might hurt someone" At this point, she collapsed from exhaustion.  
  
"Whoa, Medea!" Ches said angerily and knelt before her. Parn, Deed, Spark and Garrack came running. Medea lay on the ground, concious, but so tired, and hurt that she couldn't move.  
  
"Guess that club was hard to take" Parn said gently, as Deed knelt by her.  
  
"Garrack go get Lein to heal her" Spark ordered.  
  
"i'm fine." Medea hissed. If anything made Medea angry, it was weakness in herself. She attempted to stand up, but at that time, Lein came and healed her muscle wounds. She stood up quickly, and walked away.  
"what is wrong with her?" Deedlit asked everyone  
  
"She's just afraid I guess" Spark said, staring at Medea's back  
  
"Afraid of what?"Lein asked  
  
"To let people in. It frightens her to be weak. It frightened me as well" Parn explained her behavior to him eariler  
  
"I see. Well, She's definitely your child Parn, in more ways than one"  
  
"hai" Parn replied solemnly.  
  
"Well" deed said cheerfully "let's not let this little incedient ruin the fun, I think we'll have a banquet to night to celebrate our victory!" the groups spirits lightened. Exept for Ches, who looked fearfully at the gathering dark.  
  
~~~~  
  
the end.sort of. of this chapter anywayy  
and yes, there IS a plot... I just haven't figured it out yet. I have the last chapter in my mind, but I don't know what will happen inbetween. So goes the insanity of my mind.....  
ja ne~ 


End file.
